Erik van Rooyen carded a bogey free round of 65 to set the clubhouse target on day one of the D+D Real Czech Masters.
Last season’s European Challenge Tour Graduate of the Year has shown no signs of a sophomore slump in his second European Tour campaign, with two second places and a top ten at the US PGA Championship for his best finish in a Major.
He continued that fine form with seven birdies at Albatross Golf Resort to move to seven under and lead alongside Gavin Green and Lee Slattery. They lead by one from six players including Edoardo Molinari and Callum Shinkwin.
Belgian Thomas Pieters, Australian Jason Scrivener and Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger were two shots off the lead. Also two back is Van Rooyen’s countryman Darren Fichardt, who was bogey free to start.
Shinkwin set the early pace from the second group of the day off the tenth, birdieing the 12th, 13th, 15th, 16th and 17th to turn in 31. Further gains followed at the first and second but when he dropped a shot on the sixth, he had left the door ajar for the rest of the field.
Van Rooyen was making a steady move with birdies on the tenth, 15th, 18th and first and, when he spun an approach to tap-in range on the second, he was just one back.
An approach to five feet at the sixth put the South African in a share as Shinkwin set the target and when Van Rooyen birdied the par five ninth from similar range, he was the solo leader.
Playing partner Molinari also birdied the ninth to complete a bogey free effort, the highlight of which was a long putt on the third to add to gains on the 11th, 17th, 18th and seventh.
Zander Lombard and Bryce Easton were in the group sharing 17th after 68s. There were more Saffas to watch with Haydn Porteous and Jacques Kruswijk in the clubhouse after 69s.
